2/6/12
Hello All,
Just a couple of things.....
Great Lives Fair packets are hot off the press. Your child was given a packet today and I'd ask that you sit down with them, go through the packet and make a choice on who your child would like to research by Monday, February 13th. If they have chosen someone who is not on the list, the team of Elementary 2 teachers will get together and decide if it qualifies as a person who has made a major impact on our world. I have set up a link where the packet and list of great lives are accessible. E-mail me with any questions.
It has come to my attention that my homework due date schedule is a little wacky. I started the year off with Lesson 9 in Wordly Wise but we actually began with Lesson 10. Now I'm switching things up again and want to let you know that we will have a Wordly Wise Review week on lessons 9-12 this week and cultural words will be studied next week. A review week consists of your child identifying the spelling and vocabulary words they missed in the past 4 lessons and building/studying that list for a quiz this Friday. So sorry about the confusion.
6TH GRADE PARENTS:
It is Valentine Gram time of year again and I invite your child to help me come sell Valentine Grams at the Main Campus on either Wednesday or Friday this week. I'd ask that they meet me in front of the Main Office by 7:45 and I will drive them to school at around 9:00. Let me know if this is something your child might be interested in and be sure to write a note stating that it is ok that I transport them from the Main Campus to Cheryl.
OVERNIGHTS
As you know, our overnights are approaching. The second payment for both Astrocamp and CIMI were due in January. If you would like to make a payment, give Teri a call at 602-381-9967 and she will be able to process any debit/credit card payments. If you would like to write a check, send it to school and I will deliver it to the Business Office.
Currently Due:
4th- Camp Pinerock- $85 (paid in full)
5th- Astrocamp- $250 ($350 is the total trip cost)
6th - CIMI- $300 ($400 is the total trip cost)
Hope you all have a lovely week and feel free to e-mail me with any questions.
Shannon
1/30/12
Hello All,
Past Events
Last week, students received the following lessons:
History - Ancient Rome
Science - Respiratory System
Geography - Pin Maps and Free Choice
Writing - Rough Draft of essay- Writing to a prompt
Grammar - Advanced Study of Nouns (4th), Advanced Study of Pronouns (5th), Verbs with focus on Voice and Mood (6th)
Math - Rules of Divisibility, Factors and Multiples, Decimal Multiplication, Percentage Word Problems, Trinomial Square Root and Binomial Cubes
Geometry- Complementary and Supplementary Angles, Circumference of a Circle, Polygons and Plotting Coordinates
This Week
Overnight Field Trips -The second $100 payment is due for 5th and 6th grade students. You can send a check made payable to Villa Montessori or call the business office to pay by credit card. The business office number is (602) 381-0433.
Upcoming Valentine Grams -We need Hershey's Kisses donations for our annual Valentine Grams. Please send in with your child before February 10th. Thank you!
Volunteers are needed on February 10th, 13th, and 14th. This is a fun volunteer opportunity run by Stacy Vivas . She is looking for someone to take over next year since her son, Anderson, is moving on to middle school. Thank you Stacy!
Great Lives Fair -Our yearly research project this year will be the Great Lives Fair. Students will choose a person who has contributed to society in a positive way to research. Packets will be sent home next Monday, February 6th. I will post more info in next week's newsflash.
Scholastic-I'll send out packets tomorrow. If you are interested in ordering, order online or on paper by Friday February 10th .\\
Homework:
Reading- All students should read 30 minutes per evening. Please let me know if your child is refusing to read so that we can problem solve together. It is very important that your child reads every night
Math- Saxon homework this week (check out homework schedule for more detailed information)!
CLASSROOM NEEDS(I would really appreciate it if these items could be brought in over the month of January)
-Petsmart gift cards- any donation would be appreciated we only have $50 left for the year. If you haven't donated a gift card for the year, it would be so appreciated if you did now.
-Clorox or Kirkland Wipes
-Box of Ticonderoga Pencils
- each child needs to bring in a new composition book as their planners are almost full
- 2nd half of Pizza Friday payment if you haven't already paid in full
Upcoming Dates to Remember
February 9th- Field Trip to Gammage Theatre from 9:00-12:00
February 14th - Valentine's Day Class Party; Valentine's Grams - If you would like to volunteer please sign up on our webpage
February 17th - Hats on Day!
February 20th - No School - President's Day
February 21st - Halle Heart Center Field Trip - 9:30 to 1:00 - We are taking the bus, so we don't need drivers for this one.
March 5th - 11th - Spring Break
March 13th - Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center Field Trip - 9:00 to 1:00
March 16th - Early Dismissal - only all-day contracts after 11:30
March 18th - Annual Family Picnic - 11 am - 1 pm
1/9/12
Hello All,
Just a couple of things...
Since we don't have enough drivers for the field trip, I reserved the bus to transport us to the Science Center tomorrow. If you did volunteer to drive, you can just meet our class at the Science Center entrance at 9:15 and I will have you take a group of students to chaperone for the day. Thank you so much in advance and e-mail me with any questions.
I am also posting our Cultural Vocabulary for the week. They will be tested on these vocabulary words this Friday:)
AncientRome and Respiratory System Vocabulary
1. Aqueduct: specially built channel (underground or raised) through which water was brought into Roman towns.
2. Catapult: Military machine used by the Roman army during siege warfare for hurling stones and darts over enemy walls.
3. Democracy: A system of government in which all people being governed have a voice, usually through elected representatives.
4. Emperor: Absolute ruler of an empire, making “emperor” a higher rank than “king.” Augustus Caesar became the first Roman emperor in 27 B.C.E.
5. Gladiator: Trained fighter who battled other gladiators in public contests, sometimes to death.
6. Hypocaust: Central heating system installed in grand Roman houses that worked by circulating warm air from a fire under the floor and through cavities in the walls.
7. Republic: A state where power is held by the people or their representatives, rather than by an emperor, monarch, or tyrant.
8. Toga:Formal garment worn by male Roman citizens, which consisted of a length of fabric wrapped around the body and draped over one shoulder. Togas were usually white, those worn by senators had wide purple borders.
9. Alveoli:Microscopic air bags inside the lungs through which oxygen enters, and carbon dioxide leaves, the bloodstream.
10. Aerobic Respiration: Release of enery from glucose that takes place inside cells and requires oxygen.
11. Anaerobic Respiration: Release of energy from glucose that takes place inside cells and does not use oxygen.
12. Carbon Dioxide: Gas that is a waste product of cell respiration, which is released into the air from the lungs during exhalation (breathing out)
13. Cilia: Microscopic, hairlike projections from certain cells that beat in a rhythmic, wavelike manner to move things, such as mucus, across their surface.
14. Diaphragm:Dome shaped sheet of muscle that separates the thorax (chest) from the abdomen and plays a key role in breathing.
15. Exhalation:The movement of air out of the lungs, also called expiration or breathing out.
1/5/12
Happy New Year! Hope you all had a restful, joy-filled break. I want to start out by thanking all of you for your thoughful and generous gifts. It means so much to me, especially knowing how crazy the holidays are. I also wanted to let you all know that Felicity is very close to having her baby girl and I am so excited to announce that Albert will be working with me in the classroom and Jennifer Nitro will be our Outdoor Workspace teacher. A new 4th grade girl will coming into our class named Marlie on Tuesday. I will try to be as succinct as possible but there is a heartly list of reminders and classroom
info below.
REMINDERS:
Friday, January 6th- 6th graders will go to Oak for a Middle School Preview Day (permission slip needs to be signed tonight if you haven't already.
Tuesday, January 10th- Field trip to AZ Science Center. We will not be attending this trip unless another 3 people sign up to chaperone. This trip is supported by parent drivers. Thank you to Kristina Pham and Toni Valadez for driving. Click
Day Trip and Science Center Sign-Up to chaperone.
Monday, January 16th- School Closed
Thursday, January 19th- Field trip to AZ Gammage Theatre to watch Contra Tiempos perform
CURRICULUM
Our cultural studies this month will consist of the exploration of the Repiratory System and we will also be researching Ancient China. We will also study the continent of Asia to enrich our research of this great civilization. We also look forward to our Pinewood Derby which will take place on Friday, January 13th. You are welcome to come and watch your child if they are participating. Please e-mail me any time if you would like specific information about what your child is studying in math, language and geometry since that is much more individualized.
I have posted an updated homework schedule for this half of the year. Please note that your child will have cultural words next week. I will send a separate newsflash with those words and definitions in the coming days.
CLASSROOM NEEDS( I would really appreciate it if these items could be brought in over the month of January)
-Petsmart gift cards- any donation would be appreciated we only have $50 left for the year. If you haven't donated a gift card for the year, it would be so appreciated if you did now.
-Clorox or Kirkland Wipes
-Box of Ticonderoga Pencils
- each child needs to bring in a new composition book as their planners are almost full
- 2nd half of Pizza Friday payment if you haven't already paid in full
Have a great week and I will talk to you soon.
Shannon
Hello All,
Just a couple of things before we all enjoy a nice two week break.
First of all, thank you to all of you that participated in our Kindness Project. Your generosity and support means so much during this very busy time of year.
Thank you to the Pham and Bruske families for volunteering to house our classroom pets for the break.
Thank you to Dolcie Santiago who dedicated two nights to making our gingerbread house frosting. It was definately enjoyed by all :)
Lastly, thank you to Annie who organizes and orchestrates so much for our classroom. Your constant communication and humor keep all of us in the loop:)
We have spent much of the week working pretty hard and tomorrow I have proposed a Pajama Day. Cultural Presentations will take place in the morning and I thought we could enjoy a movie in the afternoon.
Talk to you soon,
Shannon